Genetic characterization of local Italian breeds of chickens undergoing in situ conservation

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to determine genetic variation and to analyze population structure of 6 Italian local chicken breeds involved in a conservation program. Twenty microsatellite markers were investigated in 337 birds belonging to 6 breeds: Ermellinata di Rovigo, Robusta Maculata, Robusta Lionata, Pépoi, Padovana, and Polverara; a commercial layer cross was used as reference. One hundred twelve alleles were detected in the overall population, with a mean number of 5.6 +/- 2.1 alleles per locus. For the local breeds, the observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from a minimum of 0.240 to a maximum of 0.413 and from 0.243 to 0.463 for the Pépoi and Polverara breeds, respectively. Deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was observed in 5 breeds and in the commercial cross. The overall population heterozygote deficiency was 0.427, the average inbreeding coefficient was 0.097, and the heterozygote deficiency due to breed subdivisions was 0.437. Reynolds' distances were used to draw an unrooted neighbor-joining tree, which topology gave information on the genetic origin of these breeds and confirmed their known history. The estimated molecular kinship within a breed ranged from 0.559 to 0.769, evidencing high coancestry. Structure analysis was performed to detect the presence of population substructures. Inferred clusters corresponded to the different breeds, without presence of admixture. The exception was the Polverara breed, for which a more complex genetic structure was found. The results supported the decision of safeguarding these breeds as an important reservoir of genetic diversity and confirmed the usefulness of microsatellite markers to characterize and to monitor genetic variability in local chicken breeds.

Comparison of pH, Water Holding Capacity and Color among Meats from Korean Native Chickens

“…There is a growing interest in the use of native chicken breeds for the production of chicken meat in many countries because native chicken meats have properties such as high protein content, low fat content, unique flavor and texture compared with those of broiler chicken meat (Fanatico et al, 2007;Jaturasitha et al, 2008;Jayasena et al, 2013;Jung et al, 2013). In addition, the conservation of native chicken breeds is considered important because the increasing use of broiler chickens with rapid growth properties has resulted in the loss of genetic diversity among chicken breeds (Zanetti et al, 2010). For these reasons, the development of a new meat breed by using native chickens is required, based on suitable selection strategies for the production of high-quality meat ).…”

Phenotypic characteristics of Indonesian native chickens

“…One way to identify the various types of chickens is by observing quantitative physical characteristics (height, body length, length of beak, wing length, and body weight) and qualitative characteristics (color of feathers, skin, tongue, foot, and comb). A genetic diversity study can be used to analyze a regional population for conservation purposes (Zanetti et al 2010).…”

Genotypic characterization of ten microsatellite loci in two Brazilian free range (Caipira) chicken lines

“…However, in the commercial chickens the Ho values were often lower than that in the present study. These values ranged from 0.000 (high inbred lines) to 0.610 (VANHALA et al, 1998;ZHOU & LAMONT, 1999;GRANEVITZE et al, 2007;BERTHOULY et al, 2009;ZANETTI et al, 2010;WILKINSON et al, 2012). Thus, the heterozygosity found in these Brazilian free range (Caipira) chickens, however is lower than the He, which can be considered high.…”